Purchasing Procedures
Purchases made on behalf of Wittenberg University must be properly initiated by a Purchasing Card, Departmental Purchase Order (DPO) at the time the order is placed, or through a Purchase Requisition (PR) prior to placing any order.
- Purchasing Card
- Purchasing Requisition
- Check Requests
- Personal Reimbursement
- Blanket Purchase Orders
- Change Orders
- Vendor Selection
- Supplier or Billing Disputes
- Shipping Address
- Contract Signatures
- Conflict of Interest
- Personal Purchases
- Use of Fiscal Year
- Technology Purchases
- Ethical Principals
- Spending Authority
- Contact Information
- Terms and Conditions
Upon request, and with supervisor's approval, purchasing cards may be issued to faculty, staff and student organizations. Cardholders must adhere to all spending limits, record keeping requirements and restrictions. Training is mandatory before receipt of card. Most cardholders will be authorized to spend $750/transaction, $5,000/month. The Director of Business Services may authorize greater spending limits as follows: Travelers in Advancement, Athletics and Admissions may be authorized up to $1,000/transaction. Selected executives and/or administrators may be authorized up to $5,000/transaction and monthly limits up to $20,000. Spending limits up to $20,000/transaction and $50,000/month may be granted to staff within Business Services. Authorization for access to cash advances may be granted to travelers, including faculty traveling with students. PURCHASING CARD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For purchases in excess of limits on credit cards, departments must submit a Purchase Requisition to the Purchasing Office. In addition to evaluating the purchase, the Purchasing Office will review the departmental account to ensure the availability of funds prior to making any commitment on behalf of Wittenberg. The Purchase Requisition must always contain a complete description of the item(s) requested, the price or estimate for each item, the account number to charge, and the appropriate signature. For all requests up to $5,000, the Purchase Requisition must be signed by a Director or Associate Director. Purchase Requisitions over $10,000 must be approved in advance by the Vice President or Executive Staff member from the area making the request. All Purchase Requisitions in excess of $25,000 must also be approved by the Vice President for Business and Finance. All purchases and/or projects in excess of $250,000 must have Board approval.
Reminder
All purchases over specified spending authority must be approved in advance via a Wittenberg University Purchase Order. When you do not know the exact final cost of an order, you may submit a Purchase Requisition noting the amount is an estimate or approximate cost. Items received at the Warehouse for which there is no paperwork will not be delivered to the department unless/until the purchase is approved through the Purchasing Office. Items received directly by the department for which there is no prior authorization are the financial responsibility of the individual who placed the order. Wittenberg University is not obligated to honor any purchasing commitments made by its' faculty or staff if a purchase order has not been issued in advance of placing an order with a vendor. After review and final approval of the Purchase Requisition, the Purchasing Office will issue a Purchase Order to the most appropriate vendor.
Check Requests may be used to request payment of honoraria and stipends. They may also be used for selected purchases for which the vendor does not accept a credit card. Examples include membership fees, conference registrations, and subscriptions or publications.
Purchasing Cards and Purchase Requisitions are designed to balance the departmental need for flexibility and convenience with the institution's need for accountability and responsible stewardship of resources. With appropriate planning, there should be few (if any) occasions requiring a faculty or staff member to use personal funds to complete a transaction in behalf of the University. Requests for personal reimbursement will be carefully reviewed.
Blanket Purchase Orders will be used by the Purchasing Office for projects or annual services in which there will be recurring and varying purchases from a particular vendor over a period of time. Use of Blanket Purchase Orders allows the estimated expenses to be encumbered immediately and also reduces paperwork. However, Blanket Purchase Orders may not be used when it may be more cost effective to obtain competitive pricing as needs arise.
Changes to any Purchase Order may only be made with the mutual consent of both Wittenberg University and the vendor. The originating department must send an email to Karen Lotz at klotz@wittenberg.edu requesting the change and providing a brief explanation.
At the DPO level, it is recommended that the department obtain pricing and availability data from several vendors. Freight costs and service levels should be included in the price comparisons. If desired, the Purchasing Office will assist in obtaining this information for the department.
For purchases exceeding $750, the following steps must be followed to ensure competitive pricing and satisfactory service levels. The department may elect to act on the following guidelines themselves or may request that the Purchasing Office do so:
Up to $7,500: Pricing and terms from three vendors must be obtained, verbally or in writing, and be clearly documented.
$7,501 - $20,000: Written quotes must be obtained from at least three vendors. In many cases, specifications from the using department should be part of the request for quotes or proposals. The Purchasing Office can assist the department with designing specifications.
$20,001 � Up: Written specifications must be drawn. A formal Request for Quote or Proposal should be sent to at least three vendors. A Request for Quote or Proposal may be designed in an open-ended manner allowing for further negotiation with select vendors.
Sole-Sourcing: Although care must be taken to avoid so narrowly defining a need that all alternatives are not explored, there may be circumstances in which only one vendor is available to provide the needed goods/service. Such circumstances must be documented on the Purchase Requisition and are subject to review by the Purchasing Office.
Partnering: In order to take advantage of vendor expertise and to maximize mutually beneficial relationships, vendor partnerships are encouraged. This is particularly true when quality and/or service levels are of utmost importance. Partnering is acceptable after the competitive status and service level of a vendor has been established using the above guidelines and the University’s experience with that vendor. Although partnering eliminates the need to obtain additional competitive pricing every time a purchase is needed, the partnering relationship should be periodically tested using the above guidelines for quotes and proposals. All partnering relationships must be documented and are subject to review by the Purchasing Office.
If a department has asked the Purchasing Office to obtain vendor and cost information, a bid summary and recommendation will be sent to the department. If the department prefers to award an order to other than the recommended bidder, a brief note of explanation must accompany the Purchase Requisition. If the department has obtained all vendor and pricing data themselves, that information must be attached to the Purchase Requisition when it is submitted to the Purchasing Office. All vendor and price decisions are subject to review and action by the Director of Purchasing.
In the event of a billing or shipping error, the department or initiator should notify the vendor. When discussing the problem with the vendor, be sure to specify the corrections desired. If the office is unable to get satisfactory results, the Purchasing Department is available to assist in arriving at a mutually agreeable resolution.
The central receiving address for all Wittenberg University deliveries is as follows:
Wittenberg University
Department Contact, Department Name
225 N. Fountain Avenue
Springfield, OH 45504
A properly authorized Purchase Order constitutes a contract which is binding on both Wittenberg and the supplier. Some vendors may also require contracts or agreements. Such documents may only be signed by the Vice President for Business and Finance or his designee.
Transactions on behalf of Wittenberg are to be conducted on a highly ethical basis. Purchasing decisions must not be influenced by the self-interest on the part of any employee. In order that conflicts, or the appearance of conflicts, are avoided, Wittenberg employees who have authority to initiate or approve Purchase Requisitions must disclose to the Vice President for Business and Finance any outside relationships for review and final determination. Examples include: additional employment elsewhere, business or personal relationships with vendors, or a family member's employment.
In addition, it will be necessary for all Board members, members of the Executive Staff and selected administrative personnel to complete a Conflict of Interest questionnaire periodically through the independent audit engagement. The results of this questionnaire will be reported independently by the auditors to the Audit Committee.
All University employees must exercise caution in accepting gifts from vendor(s). The acceptance of occasional and/or complimentary tokens of appreciation does not necessarily constitute a conflict of interest. Examples of such items may include a complementary calendar, a Christmas fruit basket or box of candy, a publication, writing implement or business-related lunch. However, in all cases, prudent judgment must be used in deciding whether to accept any gift. The acceptance of a gift must in no way impact, or appear to impact, the nature of the business relationship between the University and the vendor. If in doubt, it is best to decline the gift.
The Purchasing Office will not approve any transaction for purchases of a personal nature for a faculty or staff member. Requisitions which appear to be of a personal nature will be questioned and will be returned to the originating department if deemed inappropriate. Wittenberg business is conducted on a tax exempt basis. Any person using this tax exempt status for personal business transactions violates the law.
When the fiscal year closing of June 30 approaches, purchases will be subject to consistent and appropriate review in terms of account charges. Goods and services will be charged to the budget year in which it was physically received at the University. In the event a buying pattern is established that is necessary to support our program efforts, but for which the Rule of Receipt may not be appropriate, the Rule of Consistency will apply. The Rule of Consistency considers annual buying patterns as well as the year for which the purchased items are to be put in actual use.
Departments are advised and strongly encouraged to consult with Audio-Visual Services and/or Computing Services when considering the purchase of any audio visual or computing equipment. The Purchasing Office may elect to obtain reviews by either of these departments before authorizing an order.
Wittenberg supports the purchasing standards established by the National Association of Educational Procurement:
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